Muhammed
Lawal was one of the most memorable players involved in
Bellator’s first-ever pay-per-view venture this past May.

His evening was not, however, indicative of someone on the verge of
making a long-term commitment to the promotion -- it quite the
opposite, in fact. After accusing then CEO Bjorn Rebney of d—k
riding during a pre-fight interview with analyst Jimmy Smith
on Spike TV, “King Mo” went on to lose a contentious decision to
Quinton
Jackson in the Bellator 120 main event. Lawal’s displeasure
with the verdict – and conceivably, all things Bellator – came to a
head in the
immediate aftermath.

“Bjorn, you know what’s up, man,” Lawal said that night. “You know
you didn’t win that fight, all smiling and s---. ‘Rampage,’ nothing
against you. I beat you, though. You know it, and your corner knows
it. I won that fight; and Bjorn, cut me if you don’t like me. You
know I won that fight.”

Oh, how the times have changed. The promotion announced last week
that Lawal, still one of its higher-profile talents, had signed a
contract extension that will keep him in the Bellator cage “for
years to come.”

For his part, Lawal claimed it was “one of the easiest decision I
could have made,” a far cry from his cut-me-if-you-hate-me edict
from three months ago. Of course, Bellator’s decision to jettison
Rebney in June and hire former Strikeforce head Scott Coker as the
organization’s new president might have helped change Lawal’s line
of thinking.

Would Lawal have signed a new deal had Rebney still been at
helm?

“Probably not, man,” Lawal told Sherdog.com. “He’s a different guy.
I rock with people that keep it real. To me, he was good at keeping
it real fake.”

Right up until the end, the former Oklahoma State University
wrestling standout didn’t trust Rebney, even after the two men had
a chance to talk following the Bellator 120 controversy.

“He flew me out there and fed me some bull. I wasn’t feeling it. He
told me that he thought I won the fight even though, at the press
conference he thought the [judges] got it right,” Lawal said. “I
was like, if you thought that, then you were lying to somebody. Who
were you lying to: Me or the MMA media? And he didn’t say
nothing.

“I wish him luck in the future in whatever he does – as long as it
doesn’t involve me, I’m good.”

Lawal’s immediate future with the new regime includes a matchup
with Dustin
Jacoby at Bellator
123 on Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Conn. The two-time UFC competitor is Lawal’s third proposed
opponent for the Spike-TV televised event after injuries derailed
potential bouts against both Tom DeBlass
and Marcus
Sursa. “King Mo’s” fight is the co-main event of a card that
goes head-to-head with a UFC Fight Night bill taking place on the
same night in the same state.

Neither the shuffling of opponents nor the potential ratings war
with the UFC is of great concern to Lawal. As he sees it, if he
performs as he should, everything else will take care of
itself.

“My goal is to go out there and win my battle and take care of
business,” he said. “If I do that, I’m going to put on a show. I
feel like if we all take care of business with that card – because
we can’t worry about the UFC, we’ve got to worry about what we’ve
got to worry about and that’s our fights. If we take care of
business, we’ll put on a good show, and that will be good
competition in itself.”

“King Mo” has been up and down since he arrived in Bellator. He is
4-3 with the promotion, including a pair of surprising losses to
current light heavyweight king Emanuel
Newton as well as the aforementioned disputed defeat at the
hands of Jackson. If Lawal has been maddeningly inconsistent, it
might be because he has not been physically 100 percent in a couple
years

The American Top Team representative is still hindered by the
aftereffects of a staph infection that he suffered following an ACL
surgery in 2012. The infection required numerous surgeries and
nearly killed Lawal. The recovery remains an ongoing process.

Lawal says he’s 75 percent there. In the meantime, he feels like he
has grown to be a savvier, more intelligent fighter than when he
first burst upon the scene to capture the Strikeforce 205-pound
strap with a win over Gegard
Mousasi in April 2010. It’s only a matter of time before the
mind and body align.

I’ll be there; I’m almost there. It’s a day-to-day journey that I’m
working to get back to where [I was at],” he said.

A win over Jacoby could once again trigger discussion of a rematch
with “Rampage.” Although Jackson earned a light heavyweight title
shot with his victory over Lawal, the former UFC star had little
interest in fighting Emanuel
Newton, a man who he counts as a friend and training partner.
Bellator’s matchmaking seems to be respecting Jackson’s wishes, as
Joey
Beltran will challenge Newton for 205-pound gold on Sept.
12.

Even if Jackson’s schedule remains clear, Lawal isn’t so sure a
rematch is what his rival really wants, despite his claims
otherwise.

“Here’s the thing, he wanted a shot at me,” Lawal said. “He asked
me for a rematch; I didn’t ask him for one. It’s whatever, man. If
he wants to fight me, I’m down. I don’t think he wants to fight
me.”